Counting and batching device



Sept. 26, 1950 J. T. POTTER 2,523,517

COUNTING AND BATCHING DEVICE Filed July 7, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l PREDETERMINED COUNTER -0 1 AND 41 RELAY CONTROL C (i O- INVENTOR.

JOHN T. POTTER ATTORNEY Sept. 26, 1950 J. T. POTTER 2,523,517

COUNTING AND BATCHING DEVICE Filed July 7, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z a: L11

a E F To in Z c: it. Q. I

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 26, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,523,517 -C'OI I'NTIN'G Ann BATCHTNGDEVICE John T. Potter, New York, N. Y. Application July'f, 1947, Serial'No. 764,802

1 Claim.

The present invention concerns counting devices and, in particular, electro-mechanical counting devices capable of counting into predetermined groups small objects such *as pills and at very high speed.

One object of the present invention is to provide, .a method of, and means for counting and grouping small objects such as pills at a very high rate of speed.

Another object is to 'move small objects from a large group into a single 'line moving at high speed suitable for counting.

Still another object is to move small objects from a substantially stationary large group to a single line at high speed without, at any point, subjecting the objects to sudden acceleration or other forces which'might damage fragile objects.

A still further object is to divide such small objects into accuratelycounted groups at a very high rate of speed and without damaging even fragile objects.

A further object-is to provide meansfor counting and grouping quickli and accurately extremely small objects such as watch-maker's screws.

Many industries package products in groups such as a dozen, a gross, a hundred, etc. to a package. Large or expensive objects are often counted by hand and some machines deliver their product in convenient groups. However, where large quantities of small inexpensive objectssuch as pills are to be-grouped it is usually done by weighing. This is slow and expensive and is often made more expensive by including an overage of about 3 percent since exact count cannot generally be determined by weighing. Hence there existed-a need for a method of and means for counting and grouping small sometimes fragile objects accurately and extremely rapidly.

According to the present invention a quantity of objects to be counted is fed to the center of a revolving turntable where a spiral guide causes them toaccelerate gradually and smoothly in a spiral path to the outer rim of'the'turntable. A flexible belt passing around all but a small portion of the rim of the turntable and running with it, guides the objects at full rim speed to an opening where they leave in a trajectory determined b the turntable speed, weight and size of the objects, etc. At a predetermined point in this trajectory they'interrupt a beam of light falling on a photo-electric cell. The photo-electric cell is connected to :a predetermined counter of one or more channels of the type set forth in copending patentrap- 2 plication of John T. Potter, bearing Serial Nuni ber 657,581, entitled Predeterrnined Electronic Counters," which was filed on March 27, 1946. Utilizing a, single channel predetermined counter the counter is preset to .the desired quantity in a group as, for instance, 100 and a control signal or pulse is derived from the output of extremely high speed to direct the flow first to one chute and then to the other. The containers or bottles are advanced one step during the time that the alternate container or bottle .is being filled. This system can operate at extremely high speed filling several containers or bottles per second since it requires moving the bottlesonly during the filling time while the gate may be made to operate .alimost instantaneously to change the direction of flow. Since the objects are accelerated gradually'by the spiral and turntable and are directed from one container to another by the gate which merely deflects them slightly one wayor the other as they fall in an are no sudden acceleration or impact is applied and relatively fragile objects may be handled without damage.

The above objects as well as others will be apparent from the detailed description of the various figures of the drawing.

In the drawing;

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a preferred form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a top view of a portion of the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows detailsona modified form of gate utilized in the present invention.

"Fig. l shows-apill counterembodying one ;form of the present invention. A belt I passes partially around the rim of aturntable 2 which acts to align and accelerate the pills supplied from hopper "3. The manner in which the ,pills are aligned'and accelerated will be described in more detail below in connection with Fig. 2. Also shown in Fig. 1 is the driving mechanism for turntable 2 consisting of a motor I!) supplied with-electrical power-over leads H and [2. Motor ['0' has a shaft 9 and pulley 8. Turntable v2 has a shaft "5 and pulley :6. Turntable 2 is rotated 'bymotor I30 through belt :1 which couples pulleys .6 and .8. Pills .are aligned and 3.008]:

erated by turntable 2 and are emitted single file in a trajection 4. The pills are emitted with sufiicient velocit to pass through the air from the point at which they leave turntable 2 until the arrive at the flared end of chutes 29 or 34. Across this path a light from lamp l3 and focussed into a beam by lens l4 shines into photo-electric cell I5 so that as the pills pass they cast a shadow into the photo-electric cell. A mask (5 is provided and its opening may be adjusted in order to obtain the best response from each individual pill passing by. Small pills, for instance, may require a narrower opening in mask I6 than large pills. The impulses generated in photo-electric cell l5 are passed to predetermined counter I9 over wires l1 and I8. This counter 19 is capable of generating a control signal each time it receives a predetermined number of impulses from photoelectric cell l5. For instance, it may be set to count 100 and it will generate a control signal each time 100 pills have passed. The output of counter I9 consisting of this control signal is applied by means of leads 20 and 2| to a gate control coil 22. As shown in Fig. 1 the pills are passing in front of gate 23 into chute 29 and into bottle 3!. When the predetermined number of pills have passed the photo-electric cell a control signal from counter l9 and applied to coil 22 flips the gate over suddenly and causes gate 23 to deflect the stream of pills behind it into the rear chute 34 and into a bottle behind bottle 3! (not shown). While this second bottle is being filled, bottle 3| is moved one step to the right and empty bottle 32 is moved into place below chute 29. When the rear bottle has received the predetermined count of pills another control signal is generated operating a second gate control (not shown) flipping gate 23 back to its initial position and thereby deflecting pills into chute 29 again. This process is repeated at a high rate of speed.

Fig. 2 shows a top view of the turntable 2, belt I and the gate controls. Gate relay 35 pulls gate 23 into one deflecting position when one control pulse is received while relay 36 pulls gate 23 back to its original position at the next control pulse so that the pills are deflected first into one chute and then into the other. The predetermined counter 19 of Fig. 1 may be preset to count alternately to two different numbers in accordance with the disclosure of the above designated patent application. In this way two control signals may be generated alternately one to control relay 35 over wires 20 and 2| of Fig. l and the other to control relay 36 over wires 4| and 42 in order to direct one quantity of pills into the bottles in one row and another quantity into the bottles in the other row.

Fig. 2 also shows one manner in which the belt I may pass around or under rollers 21, 31, 28, 38 and 39 to provide a clear space for the relays and other associated parts.

In operation pills (or other parts to be grouped) are fed to the center of turntable 2. As belt I rotates with turntable 2 the pills are gently accelerated and finally appear in single file against belt I. As they leave belt 1, they pass across the light beam to gate 23 and are there deflected to the desired bottle. At the end of each count the appropriate relay actuates the gate and starts the alternate count. Evidently equal numbers may be counted by setting both predetermining switches to the same number.

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of sorting device according to the present invention. In Fig. 3 a hopper 3l for holding the pills to be counted has a neck 32 for feeding the pills one at a time to moving belt 35. In order to cause the pills to drop out of neck 32 in a regulate manner the hopper 3l may be vibrated in any convenient manner as by means of solenoid 3--23 supplied with alternating current over leads 324 and 325. Belt 35 moved in the direction indicated by the arrow by suit-- able driving means (not shown) connected to one of the pulleys 36 and 3-26 moves the pills (or other objects to be counted) along a channel formed by guides 33 and 34 to chute 31. This chute 37 is a gate which directs the pills either to funnel 39 or to funnel 346 depending on its position. Magnet 318 connected by means of leads 32! and 322 to a source of control current such as Predetermined Counter 3[6 serves to pull chute 3--l into the position shown to deposit pills in funnel 3--l0 and through it into bottle 3ll. Magnet 3l1 connected by means of leads 319 and 320 to the source of control current 316 serves to pull the chute into dotted position at 38 for depositing the pills in funnel 3l0 and through it into another bottle (or container). As the pills emerge from chute 31 they pass a beam of light from lamps 3l3 in box 3l2 directed upon photoelectric cell 3l5 in box 314. As they pass this beam of light they interrupt it causing a pulse in photoelectric cell 3l5 which is passed to counter 3l6 and there counted. Counter 3I6 is preset to one or two predetermined counts. If a single count is utilized magnet 3Il is energized alternately with magnet 3[8 so that chute 3-'! passes the required number of pills alternately to funnels 39 and 3-|0 and hence to the bottles or containers being filled. Two counts may be utilized, for instance, allowing one quantity of pills to pass to funnel 39 upon the completion of quantity passed to funnel 3l0.

.. many are deposited in a given bottle.

which magnet 3--|! is energized and a second Upon the completion of the second count magnet 3I8 is energized returning chute 31 to its first position after which the cycle of operation is repeated.

It will be seen that the pills (or other objects) being counted and sorted are supplied in a steady flow and that the gating by chute 31 controlled by counter 3[6 determines how No stopping or starting of the objects is required hence very high speed sorting of even fragile objects is possible. The counting is positive as contrasted with weighing operations and hence the sorting is of absolute accuracy.

The predetermined counter as disclosed in the above designated application may include a relay control circuit in its output for closing a circuit to energize some external device upon the completion of the count.

While only two forms of the present invention have been shown and described many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a device of the class described, the combination of, a hopper for receiving a large number of small objects to be grouped, means for vibrating said hopper to cause said objects to leave said hopper at a gradual rate, a moving belt for receiving and accelerating said objects after leaving said hopper, guiding means along said belt for confining said objects to single file passage, a movable extension for said guiding means to direct said objects to predetermined receiving means the end of said directing means being spaced from said receiving means, means for counting said objects as they pass through said space, and control means actuated by said counting means for moving said directing means alternately between two predetermined positions at predetermined counts for alternately directing said objects in predetermined groups to said receiving means.

JOHN T. POTTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,045,769 Geifcken et a1. June 30, 1936 2,059,398 Roemer Nov. 3, 1936 2,144,708 Rau Jan. 24, 1939 2,304,982 Wilckens Dec. 15, 1942 2,326,675 Pearson et a1. Apr. 10, 1943 2,333,791 Hutchison, Jr Nov. 9, 1943 2,348,141 Luhn May 2, 1944 2,417,074 Green Mar. 11, 1947 2,470,926 Gieseke' May 24, 1949 

